Headaches from sleep apnea?

Answer

If you have a migraine, but you don't feel drowsy or fatigue during the day, then the cause of your migraine can be different.

The headache is also observed in people with depression, bruxism, insomnia, sinus inflammation, brain tumors and many others.

However, if you have had a confirmation from a sleep study that you have sleep apnea, then these headaches may be a sign that your sleep disorder is untreated.

The migraine is caused by apnea episodes (when you stop breathing in sleep), which causes carbon dioxide to build up in your bloodstream; there is also a decrease in oxygen level.

In response to these unusual events, your body responds by increasing the blood flow to the brain by dilating the blood vessels that run through it, and increasing the heart rate. This is how the headache starts.

You may have migraine all day 24/7, but they usually subside (the normal CO2 and O2 levels are re-established during the day, and the blood vessels will constrict).